Celebrity

Arriving at London’s Gielgud theatre wearing a T-shirt supporting the group, she admitted using “a few thespian words” and said the group were “very sweet and stopped the minute they knew I wasn’t just a batty old woman haranguing them on the streets of Soho”.

The 67-year-old told ITV News: “In another situation I would have been out here just enjoying it with all the punters. Unfortunately I was having to do a play at the same time.”

On Sunday night the troupe of dancing drummers from As One in the Park, who were promoting their festival for gay and transgender people, were stunned when Dame Helen told them in colourful language to be quiet.

She went outside the Gielgud theatre in the interval, where she is starring as the Queen in The Audience, for which she has won an Olivier Award, to confront the group.

But the group’s conductor Liam Emerson told ITV News there were no hard feelings.

“We’ve had lots of members of the public swear at us, but we’ve not necessarily had Dame Helen Mirren dressed as the Queen swear at us before, so it’s quite unique,” he said.

Dame Helen said she wanted to invite the drummers to the play. “I would love them to come and see the play and understand why I was so upset. I felt terrible, they are fellow performers.”